Rand McNally 2005 Road Atlas Adds Online Access to Road Construction Updates

Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2005 edition of the Rand McNally Road Atlas for the first time offers purchasers access to exclusive online road construction information for enhanced travel planning. The new edition is now available at retailers nationwide.

This 81st edition of the classic Rand McNally road atlas, which first appeared in 1924, includes 5,100 updates since the 2004 edition (and more than 20,000 updates since the 2001 edition!). For example, travelers in a hurry to get between Muskegon, Mich., and Milwaukee can skip the five-hour, 285-mile drive around Lake Michigan and take the new, 76-mile ferry across the lake. The two-and-a-half-hour ferry route, which started service in June, is illustrated in the new road atlas edition.

In addition, 2005 road atlas owners won't be surprised when they take rerouted U.S. Highway 33 across the Ohio River and wind up in a different town -- Ravenswood, W.Va. -- not Mason, W.Va., as before.

New 2005 editorial content aims to help travelers get the most enjoyment out of their leisure trips while minimizing aggravation:

-- Profiles of 30 recommended dining, shopping and tourist attractions, along five new scenic routes designated in Rand McNally's annual Best of the Road awards program.
-- "American Oddities" -- intriguing, colorful, fun and quirky spots that can be visited on a car trip, such as the world's smallest church in Oneida, N.Y. (3.5 feet x 6 feet) or the world's largest "Killer Bee" statue (in Hidalgo, Texas).
-- Phone numbers and Web sites to get tourism information for U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and Mexico.
-- Toll-free phone numbers and Internet addresses for hotels and motels.

New Road Atlas & Travel Guide
At the same time the new edition arrives, Rand McNally is introducing the Road Atlas & Travel Guide, a full U.S., Canada and Mexico road atlas specially designed for trip planning -- even at the last minute. In addition to the classic alphabetical, state-by-state maps, the new atlas and guide features 10 regional maps to help travelers with multi-state driving. It also offers a 100-plus-page state-by-state guide with tourism Web sites and phone numbers, city overviews, and descriptions of attractions and activities that travelers shouldn't miss.

The 2005 Road Atlas & Travel Guide is available at select retailers and booksellers nationwide.

Online Information Shows Extent, Start/Stop Construction Job Dates
Enhanced online maps with color-coded road construction information -- previously available only to members of Rand McNally's Internet-based road travel club -- are now free to 2005 edition Road Atlas owners.

The atlas tells purchasers how to register at www.randmcnally.com to download the maps, which show the extent of each construction project (from shoulder work to complete road closures). Users also can learn the start and stop dates for each project, and search for projects by highway number within a state. Travelers can decide in advance whether or not to route themselves around that project.

Additionally, Rand McNally -- North America's largest commercial mapmaker -- is the only print road atlas publisher to overlay construction information on its maps. "Consumers tell us updated roads are an important reason they replace their road atlases. Now, with updated information about construction projects, we can help people prepare or plan alternate routes," said Robert Apatoff, president and chief executive officer of Rand McNally.

"We spend thousands of hours annually researching construction projects and other changes, then update our print road atlases during the year to ensure consumers have the latest data at their fingertips, allowing them to reach their destinations safely and on time."

Other new features of the 2005 edition Road Atlas include:

-- Easier-to-see-and-read page references, roads in downtown maps and mileage charts,
-- New references in adjoining state maps,
-- Redesigned pages for greater usability.

Besides the fully detailed, 10-3/4-inch x 15-inch classic atlas, the 2005 edition Road Atlas line offers atlases in large scale/large type, deluxe spiral bound midsize, standard midsize and pocket editions, as well as a national parks pocket guide.

For more information, call 800/333-0136 or visit www.randmcnally.com .

Source: Rand McNally